The Bank Line, Cheshunt

A rather unusual aspect of Cheshunt’s history is the so-called “Bank Line”, an ancient boundary passing roughly north to south through the parish. It seems to have been largely forgotten by recent local historians, but is mentioned in Percy Archer’s Historic Cheshunt from the 1920s.*

One of the earliest references to the Bank Line comes in the 1650 parliamentary survey of lands formerly belonging to King Charles I, which included the Theobalds estate covering substantial parts of Cheshunt. One item in the survey states that:

The Coppieholders ffines are at the will of the Lord and that the Elder brother inherits the Coppyhold Land above the banke goeinge through the Parrish afforesd, and the younger Brother inheritts ye Land below the Banke.

Archer quotes from Sir Henry Chauncy’s 1700 work Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire, who gives a more detailed explanation:

An indefinite line runs throughout the Parish from North to South is called ‘Bank Line,’ and in cases of intestacy all property on the Western side, or ‘above Bank’ as it is termed, descends to the eldest son; whilst all on the Eastern side or ‘below Bank’ descends to the youngest son. By far the greater portion of the Parish, not only in extent but in value, is situated ‘below Bank.’

As the 1650 survey mentions, this distinction applies specifically to copyhold land. This is a type of tenancy named from the fact that the tenant only receives a copy of the title deed instead of the original deed, which remains in the possession of the land’s owner. It was essentially a successor to the feudal villeinage system, and the land was held in return for specified duties or services, although these were later replaced by rent. Copyhold was finally abolished in 1925, which means the Bank Line has no current function.

The practice of passing an inheritance to the youngest son (or sometimes the youngest daughter) is called ultimogeniture (as opposed to primogeniture, where the eldest inherits). It’s recorded in various parts of the world, and was found in certain boroughs of mediaeval England, from which it’s referred to as Borough English.

In discussing how this curious distinction arose, Archer says that “it is believed” (without giving any further detail) that the Bank Line formed part of the border between the kingdoms of the Mercians and the East Saxons. If this is true, it means that Anglo-Saxon Cheshunt was actually divided between these two kingdoms.

While I’ve been unable to find any direct evidence of this, Tom Williamson does note that “for much of this period [6th and 7th centuries] Hertfordshire was divided territory, lying between the kingdoms of Mercia and Essex”, also noting that at a later period “the centre and west of Hertfordshire was firmly in Mercian hands, while only the far east was East Saxon territory.”

To date, I’ve been unable to find out exactly where the Bank Line ran. However, Chauncy’s comment that the majority of the parish is “below Bank” suggests that it’s in western Cheshunt. Since the major Roman road Ermine Street runs north to south through this part of Cheshunt, that seems a likely route for the ancient boundary.

This may correspond to the ancient diocesan boundary between the sees of Leicester and London, which may have reflected the border between the kingdoms. Williamson mentions one stretch of this this as “forming the western boundary of the parishes of Cheshunt, Wormley, Broxbourne and a small section of the western boundary of Hoddesdon”. However, this wouldn’t be entirely consistent with the Bank Line running through the parish.

* Archer’s book is undated. Jack Edwards gives its date as 1923, but the photo of the author included is dated 1924. However, this appears to be pasted in and may be a subsequent addition.

Archer, Percy, Historic Cheshunt, The Cheshunt Press, Limited, no date

Williamson, Tom, The Origins of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire Publications, 2010